Urgences-santé has launched a new project aimed at improving access to medication for people at risk of opioid overdose. The project allows Urgences-santé paramedics, who cover Montreal and Laval, to provide naloxone kits to people suspected of experiencing opioid intoxication outside a health-care setting. In collaboration with Santé Québec, Sacré-Cœur-de-Montréal Hospital, and Montreal Public Health, each kit contains two doses of intranasal naloxone, an instruction sheet, and information on overdose prevention. About 20 kits have been distributed so far, according to Urgences-santé. How the kit works According to pharmacist Victor DeSousa, the antidote works on brain receptors to restore breathing. “The intranasal dose is made to be very, very easy to administer and accessible. Basically, you hold it on either side of the nasal piston. You insert (the nozzle) into the nose of the person. You can choose whichever nostril,” he said. “If there is blood, try to wipe away the blood and then, when ready, you activate it by pressing on this piston.” DeSousa says naloxone can be administered every three minutes until a person regains consciousness. However, DeSousa warns of side effects. “That reversal can be quite abrupt. So it can cause the person to have symptoms of withdrawal because it is doing it in such a strong manner,” he said. That’s why calling 911 and staying with the person is critical even after naloxone is given, DeSousa added. Combat overdose crisis This project is one of several efforts to help combat the overdose crisis in Montreal, Urgences-santé said. The number of people found unconscious or in cardiac arrest due to narcotic and opioid use in the Montreal area has been increasing since 2022. Paramedics administered 282 doses of naloxone last year, compared to 212 so far this year. Naloxone is also available without a prescription at pharmacies for free. The project comes after Montreal public health officials issued a warning in July about fatal overdoses involving carfentanil, following eight new deaths since its previous overdose alert in April.
